Ted Williams

1954 Topps Display Box and Three Wrappers

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1954 Topps baseball boxes are extraordinarily desirable (Hello Ted Williams!); Ron Oser Enterprises sold this one in December 2000 with three wrappers.

The lot’s description mentioned that the box had been repaired and glued but was otherwise in VGEX condition. 

Rockhurst Auctions re-sold the exact same box in April 2024 for $8,050.

If you’re a vintage display box collector, I’ve seen the following 1954 Topps baseball box variations:

  • 5-cent, 6-card, dated, 24-count (Ted Williams design); the box pictured above
  • 5-cent, 6-card, undated, 24-count (Ted Williams design)
  • 5-cent, 4-card (Canadian), dated, 36-count (Ted Williams design)
  • 5-cent, 4-card (Canadian), undated, 36-count (Ted Williams design)
  • 5-cent, 6-card, undated, 24-count (Green/Red design)
  • 1-cent, dated, 120-count (Green/Red design)
  • 1-cent, undated, 120-count (Green/Red design)

Check out The Unopened Archive for more!

Giant 1950s Ted Williams Moxie Window Decal

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It’s a miracle that any of these 1950s Ted Williams Moxie Window Decals survived; Sotheby’s offered this one in their 1994 Important Baseball Cards and Sports Memorabilia auction.

Sotheby’s described the item as a large stick-on window decal printed on sturdy, weather-proof plastic with the original backing paper still attached. They added that the piece was 21” wide by 32” high in near mint to mint condition.

Heritage sold the following framed example in August 2023 for $8400 (the estimate in 1994 was $2000-2500).

Oh yeah, it looks like they used the same George Woodruff portrait that Topps and Fleer used on Williams’ cards!

George Woodruff’s Ted Williams Portrait Used For Topps And Fleer Cards

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Here’s George Woodruff’s portrait of Ted Williams that Fleer used as the photo on the box and wrapper of their 1959 set!

Mastro sold the 8” x 10” portrait in July 1998.

And yes, Topps used the same picture on the Splendid Splinter’s 1954 (#250), 1955, and 1956 Topps cards.

In terms of dating the photo, Memory Lane Inc. sold a Type 1 example for $1,501.20 in October 2017 and estimated the issue date right after Williams’ return from his final 1953 Korean War stint.